MORE MURDER AND MADNESS … plus … AFFORDABLE’ HOUSING? Yeah, RIGHT
BY DAN VALENTI
PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY
(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THURSDAY, AUg. 6, 2015) — The D.A. called it murder-suicide. That makes four murders and four shot in a month in Podunk, the city-dump on the River Housy. It’s a city that gilds the revolving door of a 1-Star ghost-town’s 3-Star hotel and calls it an “economic engine,” a practice that practically guarantees the type of mayhem we’re seeing.
The latest deaths, that of a 47-year-old man and his 11-year-old daughter, have plenty of mystery about them. Officially, the deaths remain “undetermined.” Once again, the post mortem hagiography begins, that Polaroid picture of victims that make The Book of Billy’s prophecy true all over again: “Only the good die young.”
Behind the double death is a drug-addled dad who moved to The Berkshires two years ago, gained custody of his daughter from the girl’s mom a year ago, and was supposedly on the road to straightening himself out. Aren’t they always?
JIV Talkin’
Podunk school superintendent Jason “JIV” McCandless CYA’d when he vouched for the dad’s sterling character and said, “It’s not a situation that was screaming for attention.” It struck THE PLANET as an odd thing to say — unless he was trying to deflect awkward inquiries by state social services agencies.
Being the politically safe bum-kisser that he is, JIV ordered “extra social workers” for Conte and Morningside schools now until Aug. 12. No word on how much this will cost taxpayers. That wouldn’t matter, of course, provided this type of counseling worked with children, but such added attention tends to traumatize rather than console by violating health care’s first law: “First, do no harm.”
Freud said children do not have the capacity to grieve. The modern view agrees but states it differently, that kids have a type of grieving nothing like the adult version. Kids grieve intermittently versus the chronicity of the adult model. Kids grieve in their own way and time, are remarkably resilient, and, if not directly involved, soon move on. The sudden presence of counselors can send the wrong message to a kid not directly affected by the events. It’s like the adults are telling the kid to panic. Kids don’t deal in analogy or symbol. They deal literally. That’s the reason piling up with grief counselors sends the wrong message.
Meanwhile, every decent citizen is asking what’s next? Mayor Lockdown, for one, has no response.
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‘Affrordable Housing’ Anything But for Hard-Working Taxpayers
The headline in The Berkshire Courier is supposed to make you feel warm and fuzzy: “Pittsfeld wins affordable housing grant.” The story tells of a $7.9 million state grant for the projects on April Lane, reputedly a drug, Sec. 8, and welfare-laced Club Med for the “Gimme Group.”
“Affordable housing” has generally become code for the city’s forced acceptance of bottom-feeders with whom more affluent, politically influential communities east of here don’t wish to deal. Too frequently, “affordable housing” grants burden Pittsfield citizens with the obligation of providing a hand-out, not a hand-up, to a growing class of freeloaders — the leeches that have made a mockery of the otherwise noble concept of lending temporary help — not furnishing a permanent way of life — to honest people truly in need.
April Lane or April Lame?
“Affordable housing” is a euphemism much like “transitional assistance,” largely failed experiments in social engineering still worshipped by progressives. For a city like Pittsfield, accepting this money typically results in a further transition of the population from solid, reliable citizens to pregnant teens, welfare queens, drug addicts and dealers, violence, gangs, and assorted hangers-on and predators.
Keep in mind, too, that the nearly $8 million that will be poured into the 100 apartments and 11 buildings at 51 April Lane comes out of your pocket if you have the misfortune of being a Pittsfield taxpayer. Actually, its nearly $11 million of your money, counting the $3.2 million of federal low-income housing credits.
The developer is a company called Pittsfield April Lane, LLC (PAL). PAL is partnering with Rees-Larkin Development and the Berkshire Housing Development Corp. (BHDC). Reed-Larkin is also developed the former A.H. Rice silk mill into “affordable housing.” Price: $45 million. You paid for that one, too.
Last year, BHDC purchased the April Lane complex for $3.6 million from an outfit called Dalton Apartments Limited Partnership of Eastern Massachusetts. At that time, press reports said the BHDC planned “a $5 million upgrade” of the April Lane complex. THE PLANET, being a math prodigy, has trouble with simple arithmetic, but let’s giver ‘er a go. Today they peg the rehab at $7.9 million. A year ago, The Suits said $5 million. Isn’t that a $2.9 million floater? Where is that “extra” money, or is there gold in them-thar (Berkshire) hills?
When you try to find out information about these “limited partnerships” and “development companies,” you run into a swamp of government-ese and legal-ese. It would appear from the online forest that they are heavily into “affordable housing.” So was Mother Teresa.
THE PLANET did dig up this April 2014 quote from Rees-Larkin’s principal developer, Jon Rudzinski, on the April Lane deal: “I came back to Pittsfield [after the $45 million A.H. Rice project] because of the great working relationship with [BHDC] and, personally, I like … having another project in the city.”
THE PLANET doesn’t doubt that for a second.
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“The formula of my happiness: a Yes, a No, a straight line, a goal.” — Friedrich Nietzsche, Twilight of the Idols, “Maxims and Arrow” 44, (1888).
“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE.”
LOVE TO ALL.
The views expressed in any comment section are not those of PLANET VALENTI or endorsed in any way by PLANET VALENTI; this website reserves the right to remove any comment which violates its Rules of Conduct, and it is not liable for the consequences of any posted comment as provided in Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act and PLANET VALENTI’s terms of service.
Until Pittsfield gets control of its surging drug and street violence problem, it continues on its downward economic and quality-of-life spiral.
Who wants to live in, hang out, or even visit such a place if it isn’t safe?
One police tactic Liberals hate but which has immediate results is Stop And Frisk (SAF).
It has worked successfully for years in New York City, having been put into effect by Republican Mayor Rudy Giuliani until the practice was summarily stopped by Liberal Mayor Bill DeBlasio with predictable results: street crime in NYC is flourishing again.
If do-nothing Liberal Mayor Dan Bianchi truly wants to put a dent in street crime in Pittsfield, or if his challenger Linda Tyer wants a strong campaign issue in her run for Mayor, then Stop-and-Frisk is an executive measure that guarantees results.
Actually two results, and they’re both immediate: First, SAF would get all manner of illegal weapons off Pittsfield’s streets immediately. Second, SAF would get off the streets the creeps carrying those illegal weapons.
Now, which of the candidates is going to show some guts in taking direct action in stopping all this unnecessary street violence?
Your exactly right. The feeling is spreading across America in big and small communities a like. Freebie and entitlement societies have created it. To get elected politicians love to pander to the people who makeup a good percentage of this class. I’m all for helping someone but not giving them my checkbook.
http://nypost.com/2015/08/06/worst-quality-of-life-in-years-new-yorkers-in-new-poll/
Stop-And-Frisk would also result in the confiscation of a whole lot of illegal drugs and put a big dent in street sales of same.
Let them sell drugs from a storefront. Gangs will be out of business, weapons won’t be needed, and 90% of police can be laid off. Yes, there will be addicts, but with cheap pharmaceutical quality drugs most will get their ultimate high and OD within 6 months.
Why not house to house searches with heavily armed S.W.A.T. teams? That would work too. We could put the perps into forced slave labor camps. The heavy police presense could wear brown shirts. Murderers could be disected and their body parts sold.
Come on, we can go places with your line of thinking.
Let me know when they start hawking the body parts. It would also be great if there could be a senior discount and free assembly.
Really? And who you think will give them the search warrants? The demand is here and who you think makes the demand? You must dot being reading the papers.
Every time we demand more services from our government- local, state or federal- we are also agreeing to pay for it. All funding for these services come from the taxes we pay. We simply cannot say give us more services and lower or don’t increase our taxes. The two demands are exact opposites.
Then again if someone shoves a 200 million dollar school down your throat that you did NOT demand you get to pay for that as well.
Did you see the times that these extra social workers are available? 12:30-1. A half hour a day for a week. Better get there on time.
That’s the time of the summer feeding program. I’m guessing that the thinking was that the kids would already be there and the counselors could spend a bit of time with them.
I know someone whose daughter is very upset about the little girl’s death. They didn’t go to school together but they were involved in some activities together.
I heard our Mayor say we need to understand the dynamics of a family? Mayor, you need to find out what the dynamics for getting people a better quality of life in this city,like jobs and less crime.Take a walk down North Street during the day..It ain’t happening.
Did anyone see the picture of the Great Craig in iberkshires. He looked very distinguished with pen in hand, a nice white shirt and tie, and a beverage on his little table and of course, toilet paper next to his glass. You got to love this guy. Craig you have my vote!
Saw the roll of tp. I thought he might have been making some sort of political statement.
Yes he looked distinguished but he sounde ignorant!
Hey kid…..where’s your grammar? She’s upstairs sleeping.
Anyone who votes for Gaetani should never be allowed to vote again.
Chris Hyland for Mayor
The vicious attacks on Gaetani continue. All the more reason to vote him in.
When someone tells you who not to vote for and your voting rights be taken away if you do not obey, consider such a person to be unstable, mentally ill; pehaps even a sociopath.
Vote for the candidates you believe in and believe are best for the city. Not what some lone nut on social media says.
Well said.
Are you in the fourth grade Chris?
No. Anyone who votes for Gatani has the mind of a fourth grader.
Thought the same thing when Obama got reelected.
And you were spectacularly wrong.
Amen Joe
I have no problem offering counseling. There are many great agencies in the City. Why does the school district have to be involved, they have enough problems just educating the kids. Feed the PIG.
The school is involved because for every little program and nuance spending there might just be a little left over for, uh, let’s call it, discretionary spending. And my guess is that there is 10 to 20 million dollars of discretionary spending in the school budget.
DUSTY YOU ARE WRONG–THERE IS MORE THAN 10 20 MILLION DISCRETIONARY MONEY FOR THE SCHOOL DIPS– SITING IN THE OFFICES ON MERCER ST. THAT DISCRETIONARY MONEY FIGURE WILL BE REDUCED TO (0) WHEN I BECOME MAYOR–CRAIG
SLUSH FUND
typically, the counseling is offered at schools because schools are a focal point for the kid’s in the community. it’s a place they go to often, are familiar, and generally feel safe at. counseling helps some, doesn’t help others – but offering it for a traumatic event does not sound like a bad idea.
I think we are starting to confuse every action taken as a bad action because we don’t approve of some of the players.
if this event happened and we loved the mayor, loved the superintendent, and felt our money was always spent just like we would if we wrote the checks directly – this may still be a good idea.
a lot of what goes on in government happens in spite of who is running the show. there are staff for whom this type of event generates this response.
I may be unhappy with a lot of what goes on, but I certainly cannot say there is absolutely no competence in the government. if you have ever seen a fire dept response to a structure fire, you know that these guys do what is right no matter who is in charge at the scene. it’s called training.
a certain school of thought says that counseling does more good than harm, and the folks who know the kids best are those who work in the schools, so that they are the providers makes complete sense.
Disagree with your implication that DV is calling every action a “bad” one because he doesn’t “approve” of “some of the players.” You are missing the point.
I am a clinical psychologist and can tell you Mr. Valenti is correct on the issue of counseling for children in a situation like this, totally separate from a shooting at a school. He has done his homework.
Craig sounds nuttier every time he opens his mouth. The article in the Berkshire Pigeon this AM made him sound ridiculous.
I agree. He is ridiculous and delusional. Believe me, I have dealt with that dude too many times to mention.
I just had a chance to read the article, where he says he is extremely rich yet he also states he is going to act as his own attorney.
That reminds me of the old saying…A man who represents himself in court has a fool for a lawyer, and his client is an idiot. Only saying….
Good luck Mr. G
I hear orange is the new black (or some such thing)
Hey Dan, weren’t there 7 shot last month, not 4? 4 murders, but a total of 5 shot in the Independence Day massacre and another 2 on Tyler St. Would seem to be the total. Plus, since no cause of death has been reported in the murder/suicide, we can’t yet rule out 2 more shootings to add to the total.
No one shot on Tyler St.
I thought there were three murders? one on 7/4, one on 7/31, and the murder suicide is really only one – since killing yourself is not classified as a homicide. which one is the fourth?
I agree Dan V. about giving counseling to kids after these types of situations. I think it has the exact opposite effect. Kids are extremely resilient and counseling can make the problem seem even worse. Certainly they should talk about the issue, but counseling sends the wrong message. Working through the problem on their own strengthens them to face stressful situations in life. Many young people today are doing things like getting involved in drugs, committing crimes, and some even joining ISIS. Many of these are kids that came from so-called good families that went out of their way to insure they had a good upbringing. I’m convinced that a lot of these kids are searching for meaning in destructive ways because they lacked a religious upbringing to give them a moral way of looking at the world, but I also think too much emphasis on shielding them from any stress doesn’t prepare them for dealing with the real world. Then when they are in their early twenties or even late teens any stressful situation can push them toward drugs or crime as a way of coping.
do you ever not agree? Lol
I didn’t agree with Dan V. on the circus animal issue, but 90% of the time I do agree with him.
I don’t think even Dan agreed with that piece! Lol
PAT–I COULDN”T HAVE EXPRESSED THE TOPIC ANY CLEARER THAN YOU JUST DID IN YOUR POST. LOOK TO THE PAST WHEN WE DIDN”T HAVE PSYCHIATRISTS AND PSYCHOLIGISTS MAKING EXCUSES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE WHO WERE JUST PLAIN BAD APPLES.. TODAYS YOUTH ARE VERY RESILIENT MUCH MORE SO THAN STUDENTS OF THE PAST AND THEY NEED TO LEARN ABOUT THE REAL WORLD AND NOT BE MISGUIDED BY THESE HIGH PAID MUMBO JUMBO TALKERS WHO ARE IN EVERY SCHOOL IN AMERICA AND TEACHING OUR YOUNG PEOPLE THAT EVERYTHING THEY DO IS OK –IF THEY FEEL BETTER ABOUT THEMSELVES. WELL LOOK WHAT WE HAVE CREATED FOLLOWING THEIR ADVISE–STUDENTS IN THE 12TH GRADE WHO MANY CANT FUNCTION AT A 6TH GRADE LEVEL. HOW DO I KNOW THIS? I WAS A TEACHER AND I TELL YOU THAT IS THE ABSOLUTE TRUTH. I EXPERIENCED THIS TRAGEDY EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK AS A TEACHER. THIS WHOLE FIELD OF MUMBO JUMBO MUST COME TO THE REALIZATION THAT THEIR INPUT IN THE SCHOOLS HAS CREATED STUDENTS WHO ARE NOT PREPARED FOR THE REAL WORLD. THERE IS NO GETTING AROUND IT THAT THESE TYPES HAVE DAMAGED THE MINDS OF MANY OF OUR YOUNG PEOPLE. IF YOU GO TO ANY SCHOOL IN AMERICA YOU WILL FIND THAT MANY SCHOOLS HAVE A POPULATIO OF SPECIAL ED. STUDENTS THAT APPROACH 50% . 98% ARE TRULY NOTHING MORE THAN THE NEXT GENERATION OF FREE LOADERS WHO WILL GET ON SOCIAL SECURIITY DISABILITY AND WE THE TAXPAYER WILL HAVE TO PROVIDE FOR THEM THE REST OF OUR LIVES. IF I AM ELECTED MAYOR OF PITTSFIELD I AM GOING TO TRY TO START TO STOP THIS MADNESS AND I WILL HAVE THE WHOLE CITY OF SANE CITIZENS BEHIND ME–THIS IS WHAT THE MUMBO JUMBO CROWD HAS GIVEN US AND AT THE SAME TIME– PICKING OUR POCKETS WITH THEIR HIGH SALARIES PAID FOR AGAIN BY US THE TAXPAYER–WE MUST START TO ADDRESS THESE KIND OF INJUSTICES SOON ER THAN LATTER BEFORE THE WHOLE COUNTRY GOES DOWN THE DRAIN—-CRAIG
My count is 2 murder’s to date. Should hold judgement on tragedy on Tyler St. until after investigation.
The police did a “wellness check”? WTF? If you miss a dentist appointment, you may be presumed dead until the police can do a wellness check. Perhaps the police need to monitor more closely who is missing appointments.
Dear Planet:
While I appreciate your commentary on the stewardship of public funds, characterizing the recipients of housing benefits as freeloaders and leeches is nothing more than sensationalized opinion. I’m disappointed to read it because it draws attention away from real issues. Chronic underemployment. Lack of access to transportation. Lack of medical care. These factors are the contributors to pittsfield’s plight, not if a mother gets cash assistance housing help or a daycare voucher. I surely hope your readers are not calling today’s post journalism, because it is not. i think this post is sexist. Racist, elitist, and closed minded.
DV great post today. I disagree with shakes head. Mr shakes, you need to read more carefully.
DV qualifies the statements, not all housing help recipients are in the mooch category just too many of them. You have to agree.
This is a great piece of journalism.
Linda, stop lionizing DV. We know why you’re so find of him.
Chris you have Dan Envy!
I agree with the underemployment and lack of good paying jobs. However, the welfare system needs auditing. Pregnant moms need financial support from the fathers or their families first. Why do I many times see women will out their EBT cards at the checkout line, I see their “man” with them, then put their groceries in a vehicle newer than mine. All household income should be considered. Over the years, and in many situations, I have seen varieties of welfare fraud and abuse.
Access to transportation? Some also use taxis, some use BRTA, some use their cars.
Access to medical care? Are you not aware of Romneycare? Gov Romney signed that into place in Massachusetts. They all have access to Mass Health (or whatever it is called now).
Children are on free lunch.
These parents also do everything to get kids in special ed so they are considered disabled, yes a learning disability qualifies a parent for disability payment from the social security system for the child. (And if am not talking about real physical disabilities here, I am talking about dyslexia, behavior, etc.) Meanwhile, if you have a real disability, social security puts you through hurdles.
There should also be a two year limit on these benefits. They should also have a community service, or job training component. Benefits should be reduced for unmarried births while on welfare. Provide them free sterilization, or birth control pills.
They should be subject to random drug testing. First failure, one warning, second time…you are out FOREVER.
Ed, I’ve seen that too. And along with that EBT card they have an expensive smart phone I could never afford. And they all seem to have money for huge flat screen TVs, an expensive cable package to go along with it, lottery tickets, junk food, drugs, and at least one pet. And alot of them are obese slobs.
I know, and have known, alot of welfare people personally. They all have the same things in common – some lame excuse as to why they can’t work, laziness, and no desire to better themselves. There are exceptions of course, but what I describe has become the norm.
People said this would happen.
http://www.usherald.com/after-getting-15-minimum-wage-seattle-employees-now-want-less-hours-so-they-can-stay-on-welfare/
That’s a BS article from a BS conservative website. Please provide some facts next time.
Of course it is from a conservative site. I couldn’t find it on a liberal site because they won’t put something out there like that telling the people this is what is going on. I did look though.
What that BS article describes is not happening at all, or happening very rarely. It’s just some lying business owner lying about why they themselves reduced their workers hours. It’s not that hard to read between the lines and figure it out.
Indeed it is. It quotes a radio host as its main source. It is amazing how stupid people are.
Chris you seem to be a little arrogant and not receptive to others views.
Thank you Chuck for saying this. I frankly tiptoes around it trying not to embarrass Mr. Hyland but as my husband said don’t worry, he has embarrassed himself.
Chris, people who need a hand up, are the people that I admire. The folks that manipulate the system and take money away from the people that are trying to better them self’s and get off assistant’s piss me off. Our government should crack down on the thief’s that poach on the system.
It is indeed a true story
Racist & sexist is liberal code for an inconvient truth. They give it one of these labels and think they don’t have to deal with it.
To DV and Shakes His Head
To Dan Valenti As I read your post today concerning April Lane and its inhabitants of welfare leeches, unwed mothers, welfare queens, drug addicts and dealers, etc. it reminded me of two housing developments paid for by the taxpayers of Syracuse, and Troy, NY. Both cities were very proud of the affordable housing complexes they built for their solid reliable citizens, to borrow your description of residents, as both cities expressed their desire to build beautiful housing units that less fortunates would be proud to call home. The first complex was close to Syracuse University. Basically two story residences with beautiful shrubs, young trees, and flowers everywhere were a site to see. Within six months the buildings showed signs of abuse with auto tires and other forms of garbage replacing flower gardens and trees. Tenants complained of rats and other creatures roaming the hallways. Six months after opening, the “new” tenants rebuilt the stately units to look more like a war zone. Within a year the city tore down the structures as they were a total disgrace to the city that tried to help the less fortunates to live a decent life. The drug lords and leeches sought a new neighborhood to destroy and they found it in the south end of Syracuse. A neighborhood of mostly two family units, their once beautiful surroundings became the new slums of Syracuse. And so it goes….
The City of Troy, NY built a new apartment complex contained within a single structure of approximately 25 floors. Like Syracuse, the residents of Troy were impressed with their new high rise apartment complex in downtown Troy. It was a beautiful building with equally impressive lawns and parks surrounding the property transforming a rundown neighborhood into something beautiful and full of life. Like Syracuse, the beautiful new building that cost the taxpayers many millions was transformed into a slum in less than six month. Less than a year later, the building was torn down.
To Shakes His Head, as to Dan Valenti’s journalism I totally disagree with your comments. As other readers have stated, Dan’s writings are accurate and true. April Lane, once a proud beautiful complex of well maintained apartments surrounded by streets containing beautiful well maintained homes, is now a haven for the derelicts of Pittsfield. Like Syracuse and Troy, Pittsfield was once proud of their new complex to supply adequate housing in an upper class neighborhood only to see it erode to the slums it now has become. Sexist, elitist, close minded, I find your comments disgusting at best. Dan is way out of your league. Any decent writer, which Dan is, spends hours of research before putting pen to paper.
As to lack of employment, transportation, medical care, perhaps you should talk to our mayor or city council. As Mayor Bianchi stated in the Eagle, he cares for all the residents of Pittsfield.
word is the new April Lane owners offered tenants as much as $6000 to move out
when you take Federal funds, and you need to relocate people – you need to pay for the move, utility hookups, and then to move them back if they want to return to their former residence.
$6K may in fact be cheaper than that package.
Years ago I worked for a company that cared for houses of corporate employees who were relocated. they told folks to take as much as $25K less for their houses (which they would reimburse them for) because once they engaged the relo firm I was a sub for – the cost started at $40K and if the house sat for more than a year, it cost another $25 or $30K
sometimes it’s just cheaper to offer folks cash.
I often have wondered if we offered some of Pittsfield’s underutilized say $10K and a one way bus ticket in exchange for never returning how many would take the cash? maybe cap it at $30K for a family. think about what each of them cost us – and $10K is short money.
maybe I’m not getting the whole story, but renovations are happening right now, while this person is still a tenant. apparently you have to choose in advance whether to stay once renovations are complete, and pay the rent increase(30% was the story). If you do not, when the reno’s are complete you take your payoff and GTFO.
When there done ,it will be comparable to a 1,000 dollar apartment. Why not stay and let uncle Sam pick up the difference, and then some.
But then we would need to get Donald Trump in to build a fence around the city to keep them from coming back.
Not that they would want to.
see the footage of Craig Gaetani’s press conference here
https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=YrPpS4avtaY
Is it true that the little girl on Plunkett was dead for some time before her father died?
That’s the word on the street.
this is a direct link to Gaetani’s press conference
Just watched the youtube video of Gaetani’s press conference. He showed General Colin Powell’s response to a letter CG had sent to Gen, Powell. Colin Powell did not remember him nor the other names he dropped, but in typical gracious form the General says he had served with 40,000 soldiers and that Gaetani may have been one of them. We thank you for your service Craig. Wish you had showed your college diplomas and Krofta patents, however.maybe you will do so when as you said,”, when the time is right,”
Would love to see a documentary on ebt card abuse in Pittsfield. Dan, your next film perhaps?
Rumsfeld screwed our Veterans.
the generalizations of all on assistance as lazy slobs is so wrong. I get food stamps and I work 40+ hours a week. Its not a lot but it helps. I don’t own a cellphone only a home phone. I am not on any housing I pay full rent. I am a single mother. My point is just because you see someone using a ebt card does not mean they don’t work. I work a lot but what I make is not enough to make ends meet. But as far as girls living in housing with their boyfriend collecting benefits based solely on there income I see this ALOT! It pisses me off too because its not fair. There has to be a way to crack down on it like security that makes sure all gentleman have left before a certain time I bet a lot of them would move out quickly when there boyfriends were not allowed to stay.